Duck decoy



1, 1938; J. B. REINHART, JR 2,134,391

DUCK DECOY Filed April 19, 1957 INVENTOR; JOHN B. REINHARTJ Eda M ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to duck decoys and has for its main object to provide an inexpensive device that will closely simulate a duck floating on the water with its head submerged or projecting downwardly into the water in search of food.

To this end I have devised a novel duck decoy composed of a fabric casing filled with a buoyant substance or material and shaped and constructed so as to present the appearance of a floating duck in the'act of feeding. Any suitable fabric may be used in constructing said casing and, while the shape or form of the casing may vary somewhat without departing from the spirit of my invention, I prefer to construct it so that after the buoyant material has been introduced into the casing, there will be produced a buoyant body of substantially ellipsoidal shape in transverse section and in longitudinal section whose greatest diameter is adjacent the front end of said body, the outer surface of the casing being painted, printed, or otherwise treated so as to represent the feathers or outer covering of a duck.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a top plan view of my improved duck decoy.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of said decoy.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view.

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a detail view illustrating how the casing is constructed.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred form of my invention, A designates a casing made preferably of a light weight flexible fabric and composed of two flat pieces a: of approximately the shape shown in Figure 6, each of said pieces 2: having a square end I and curved peripheral edges 2 which are of such shape that each of the pieces at in general outline represents an ellipse having one of its ends cut off. Each of the pieces is provided on one side with painted or printed figures or characters designated by the reference character F so as to simulate the feathers or outer covering of a duck. In constructing the casing A the two pieces a: of fabric are arranged in superimposed relation with the printed or painted surfaces of same facing each other and the curved peripheral edges 2 of said pieces are then joined together by stitches 3, thereby producing a casing which is open at one end. The casing is then turned inside out so as to expose the printed or painted surface of the casing and to cause the seam 3 of the casing to be located on the interior of the same and thereafter the casing is filled with ground cork, kapok, or some other suitable buoyant material or substance 4, the open end of the casing being closed in any suitable way but preferably by forming folds or pleats 5 in the pieces of fabric and joining said pieces together by stitches 6 as shown in the drawing.

After the casing has been filled and closed up as above described, it will constitute a decorated buoyant body of substantially ellipsoidal shape in longitudinal and transverse section which, when placed in the water, will present the appearance of a duck in the act of feeding with its head submerged, the unsubmerged portion of the device that is positioned above the surface of the water having substantially the same convexed form as the back of a duck and being of the same general outline as the body of a duck. The entire upper half or unsubmerged portion of the device is formed by one of the pieces a: of fabric, and the entire lower half or submerged portion of the device is formed by the other piece of fabric, said two pieces of fabric being joined together by a horizontally disposed seam 3 that is located at approximately the surface of the water. This method of constructing the device is advantageous in that it is inexpensive and it produces a fabric decoy whose exposed part or top half is continuous or unbroken and not marred by scams or stitches.

In order that the decoy may be easily attached to an anchor employed to hold it in position, a cord, ring or other suitable device 1 is attached to the front end of the same so as to receive an anchor line or chain 8 as shown in Figure 1, the device being preferably attached to the casing by wrapping portions of the pieces of fabric a: around the device 1 preparatory to inserting the stitches 6 previously mentioned employed to close up the open end of the casing.

A decoy of the construction above described can be manufactured cheaply enough to bring it within the financial reach of practically all duck hunters. It is very efficient in use because it presents a very realistic or life-like appearance of a duck floating on the water with its head submerged in the act of looking for food and it has the added advantages of being light in weight, 50 capable of being handled roughly in transit or storage without liability of breakage or destroying the coloring matter on same that simulates the feathers or outer covering of a duck and it is equipped with an anchor-attaching device I that is not liable to become accidentally detached from the decoy.

Having thus described claim as new and desire Patent is:

A duck decoy consisting of a buoyant body of substantially ellipsoidal form in longitudinal and transverse section, having its greatest diameter located adjacent the front end of said body, said my invention, what I to secure by Letters 10 body comprising a casing made up of two pieces 

